1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an outlet device of a solid bowl centrifuge for separating a multi-phase material. The outlet device is arranged on an end wall of a centrifuge bowl that rotates about a longitudinal axis, at an outlet opening formed in the end wall, and comprises a deflecting apparatus for deflecting in the direction of the end-wall circumference the material that has passed through the outlet opening. The deflecting apparatus has a segment element, which is spaced from the longitudinal axis by a segment radius and along which the deflected material can be conducted in the direction of the end-wall circumference before being laterally thrown off by the outlet device.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, solid bowl centrifuges are characterized by a rotatable centrifuge bowl that has a largely closed bowl wall having a usually horizontally extending axis of rotation or longitudinal axis. The centrifuge bowl is rotated by means of a drive having a high rotational velocity. A multi-phase material to be centrifuged is introduced into the centrifuge bowl by means of a usually centrally arranged inlet pipe. The multi-phase material is then subjected to a high centrifugal force by means of the rotation of the centrifuge bowl, whereby the multi-phase material is caused to lie against the inside of the bowl wall as a pond. A phase separation occurs in the material centrifuged in such a way, wherein comparatively light material in the pond migrates radially inward as a light phase and comparatively heavy material migrates radially outward as a heavy phase. The light phase can be discharged as a fluid radially inside by means of an outlet device, while the heavy phase is discharged from the centrifuge bowl by means of a screw conveyor.
For example, a liquid-phase outlet connection component arranged on a bowl of a decanter centrifuge and having a straight channel is known from DE 20 2011 110 235 U1. This channel forms a segment, which is spaced from a longitudinal axis of the decanter centrifuge by a segment radius. The channel is arranged at an acute angle in relation to an end-face bowl baseplate in order to deflect a material, which has passed through an outlet opening in the baseplate, laterally with respect to the bowl. The material escaping from the outlet opening substantially in an axial direction can thereby be deflected laterally outward along the segment element in order to recover energy before the material is thrown off at the end of the straight channel or of the segment at the height of the segment radius by the liquid-phase outlet connection component.
The problem addressed by the invention is that of further developing generic outlet devices of a solid bowl centrifuge in order to achieve more effective energy recovery.